GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

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Jerry Watson2 said:I recently tore down my Sapphire RX 580 to repaste it, but the stuff is nearly two years old now. I’m honestly not sure if it’s even worth upgrading for 1080p gaming once prices finally settle down. I was looking at something like an RX 5500, though maybe something even newer will hit the market by then.

Just save your money. You can't find a 5600xt for under $80 right now, and who knows if it's actually that much better than a 580... Prices are absolutely insane; with Ethereum being mined, new GPUs are basically trickle-feeding into the market. For God's sake, they're still selling 1050tis in retail stores. In 2021? It's pathetic.

Michael Hill6 said:🥱

Dude, just hold onto your cash. You can't even find a 5600XT for under $100 right now, and honestly, who knows if it's even that much better than a 580... Prices are absolutely insane. With everyone mining Ethereum, new GPUs are basically non-existent. For real, they're still selling 1050tis in retail stores! In 2021? That's just pathetic.

haha, I wasn't even thinking about doing it right now, maybe in six months once things settle down or prices actually drop. I was putting together a budget rig for my niece late last year and grabbed a 1050ti $367 at Protis, but now they're going for like $667.

These guys are such scammers. They're trying to peddle GPUs without any warranty for about $750...
For gamers, that price is way too steep, and honestly, no miner is going to touch them if there's no warranty to back it up.

Michael Hill6 said:These guys are total scammers. Selling GPUs without any warranty for like $750...
Way too expensive for gamers, and no miner is going to touch them if there's no warranty..

Look, I'm actually selling my brother's RX580 on eBay right now—no warranty—and the price jumped to $350 within two hours. It'll probably hit over $450. Miners don't care about warranties; it's basically impossible to find older cards that still have them. As for that $750 price tag, that depends entirely on which card we're talking about...

wiredotter14 said:I'm actually in the middle of selling my brother's RX580 on eBay right now. No warranty, but within just two hours the price jumped to $320, and it'll probably clear $400. Miners don't care about warranties, and honestly, it's almost impossible to find older cards that still have them anyway. As for that 5000 figure, it really depends on which card you're looking at...

That's an 8GB RX580. What kind of price do you think would be fair for an RX580 Nitro 4GB?

Alexander Moore67 said:It's an 8GB RX580. What do you think would be a fair price for an RX580 Nitro 4GB?....

A brand new 1650 Super goes for around $300, so there's no way a used 4GB 580 should cost more than that.

Jerry Watson2 said:I recently tore down my Sapphire RX 580 to repaste it, but it’s already nearly two years old. I’m not sure if upgrading is even worth it for 1080p gaming once prices level out. I was looking at something like an RX 5500, though maybe something newer will drop by then.

Just run it while it lasts. It's great for 1080p.

Is this dip actually going to do anything to card prices?

fadedlynx10 said:Will this dip actually change anything regarding GPU prices?

It won't.

Zachary Nguyen2 said:No way.

It’s possible. Demand from miners is definitely going to tank, plus Ethereum mining is basically becoming ancient history soon anyway. If I were a professional miner, I’d be dumping at least half my gear at current prices right now.

Yesterday I flipped an RX580 on eBay for $451. My brother picked it up back in early 2018 for $323, and it’s been mining about half the time since then. 😁

wiredotter14 said:It's possible. Demand from miners will definitely drop, plus Ethereum mining is almost over. If I were a professional miner, I'd sell at least half my gear at current prices.

I sold an RX580 on eBay yesterday for $451. My brother originally bought it back in early 2018 for $323, and it's been used for mining about half the time since then. 😁

Bitcoin's price has dropped back to where it was during its first month, and ETH POS mining has already been approaching for two years.

Zachary Nguyen2 said:Bitcoin's price just tanked back down to where it was during its very first month. Meanwhile, Ethereum POS mining has been a thing for almost two years now.

I agree. Ethereum is right back where it was two months ago. This isn't some catastrophic crash for the crypto market, but the real question is whether people are actually going to keep grabbing GPUs for new rigs.
Ethereum announced they’re switching to PoS very soon. Nobody actually knows what that implies yet, but the supply of cards is there. If miners stop paying crazy prices for weak hardware, everything could fall apart. A little. Fix it.

Honestly, I think people are giving mining way too much credit for this price spike. It’s more about COVID-19—everyone was stuck inside all winter with nothing better to do than play video games. Plus, there's a shortage of consoles. If you're out there making $3,000 a month just to kill time—and let's face it, you're sitting at home on 70% of your salary because you can't go anywhere—spending $500 isn't exactly breaking the bank, right?
Then there's the question of raw materials. It's not just tech stuff; I heard the price of steel has jumped at least twofold.
There are way more factors at play here than just mining. Maybe prices will dip once summer hits and people aren't glued to their screens 24/7, but I'm not holding my breath for any massive shifts.

The prices on Craigslist are getting ridiculous—you see "like new" cards that were supposedly used for "casual" gaming selling for almost what they cost retail (if you haven't checked Best Buy lately). Like, seriously? Someone bought a high-end card just to play Solitaire.
The other day, I found a brand-new card in-store for only $167 less than what some guy is asking on Craigslist for a two-year-old card he used to play Solitaire on. I'll take the shiny new one with a full warranty over a used card any day—and I'd still save $167 in the process.

I think it’s a mix of factors, and it plays out differently depending on the price bracket. If mining wasn't such a thing, an old card like the RX580 wouldn't be holding its value this high. So, if the miners finally stop buying, at least the low-to-mid range market might stabilize. Right now, though, if you're trying to build an entry-level PC, you're basically stuck. If there were an RX580 under $667, you could actually put something together while waiting for better options

What’s actually driving the card shortages and these sky-high prices if it isn't just people chasing profits because crypto is up? When can we realistically expect prices to settle down?

I honestly think these current prices are just the "new normal."
There’s a chip shortage everywhere—not just for GPUs—and over 30 different companies are already warning about price hikes of 10-30% because raw material costs are skyrocketing link.

Back in 2017/18 when Bitcoin spiked, it took maybe 6 to 8 months for prices to settle back down to some semblance of normalcy. This time? I think we're looking at a much longer wait. Between COVID-19 and everything else going on, some people argue Bitcoin hasn't even hit its peak yet.

fadedlynx10 said:If crypto prices aren't making Mining profitable anymore, then what else would cause this massive shortage and these sky-high GPU prices? When can we actually expect things to stabilize?

Everyone seems to be predicting that 2021 will stay stuck like this, and honestly, it’ll probably drag on well into 2022...

This actually has very little to do with Mining:


It’s much more about the fact that there are far too few companies manufacturing chips.
Demand hasn't just spiked; it has launched into another galaxy entirely.
😁

Now, they're starting to cram chips into absolutely everything.

At this rate, we'll probably find them embedded in shovels and garden tools soon enough.
😛

Honestly, GPU mining isn't really the primary driver here; it’s just the easiest scapegoat for those clueless clerks in retail stores to throw at uninformed customers. If you ask me, most people working behind the counters at computer shops don't have the slightest clue what they're talking about—they simply haven't been trained enough. At least, that's my observation regarding anything related to PC hardware.

I won't even get started on our local repair services. I've had friends drop off their rigs at places like ADM or Protis, only to find out the actual issue was never even addressed. Meanwhile, if a PC ends up on my desk, it actually gets fixed. It’s frustrating how little effort they put in, not to mention the times I've seen components returned from service completely trashed or broken beyond recognition. 🤦 🙄

Anyhow, let's get back to the main point.

1. China has redirected most of its raw materials inward, significantly cutting down on exports.
2. Shipping container costs have skyrocketed.
3. Due to COVID-19, there was a massive, sudden influx of gamers—Steam actually released the stats to prove it.
4. Mining was incredibly profitable this year thanks to the crypto bull market.
5. COVID-19 also crippled production, with chip manufacturers operating at a mere 20-30% capacity.
6. There is a global shortage of raw materials right now; everyone is feeling the squeeze, from major automakers to companies making basic microwave ovens. Everyone is fighting over the same small piece of the pie, and recycling just isn't profitable enough for them yet.
7. Scalpers.☕

Those are just a few of the reasons, and I'm sure there are plenty more. For anyone sitting around hoping things will improve anytime soon or waiting for prices to plummet: dream on.
We are looking at a situation that will take years to stabilize; if things even start looking up by the end of 2023, we should probably consider ourselves lucky.🎉

That is an excellent and very straightforward chart.
https://game-debate.com/news/30698/r...pean-retailers

Yeah, you're right. I did some digging and Mining isn't even related to this.
The same thing is going to happen with cars if this keeps up. New car production is tanking because of chip shortages, which is driving up the price of used ones.
I read a lot about the car market on Reddit—mostly Americans—and everyone says they can sell the cars they bought 3 or 4 years ago for exactly what they paid for them.